Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly added another future piece to the depth chart with the commitment of Maryland offensive lineman Sam Mustipher. A four-star prospect with an elite set of offers, Mustipher became the Irish’s sixth verbal commitment to the ’14 recruiting class.
At 6-foot-4, 285-pounds, Mustipher projects to be an interior lineman for the Irish, joining Jimmy Byrne as a potential guard or center for the Irish. Even with a big offensive line class, Harry Hiestand’s troops expect to add at least two more linemen to the fold, a pretty nice reinvestment to a position struggling with depth this spring.
There’s plenty to like about Mustipher. First let’s look at an offer list that includes Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Oklahoma, Stanford and a slew of other top programs. Then there’s his off-field profile -- a reported 4.59 grade-point average at Good Counsel High School in Olney, Maryland. Credit Scott Booker for closing the deal with Mustipher, getting the Irish into Good Counsel, a top football school in the D.C. area.
High school coach Bob Milloy had this to say about Mustipher’s decision to choose Notre Dame.
“Say what you want, Notre Dame is still Notre Dame,” Milloy told the Washington Post. “If you’re from a Catholic high school, it’s just a little bit different. It’s hard to put that in words, but it’s just a little bit different.
“He’s our poster child. We’re as pleased as we can be that he made a great choice and that he can be devoid of all those distractions and just concentrate on Good Counsel this fall. That’s good news to me.”
Mustipher himself acknowledges the perfect fit.
“I’m feeling great,” Mustipher told Rivals.com. “It just felt like this was the perfect fit for my family and me. I talked about it with my family and coaches and, following these college visits, we just felt like it was the most appropriate place for me to attend college.”